Life-of-Muhammad

Life of Muhammad sa 173thunder, not on deaf ears but on ears agog. It had anelectric effect. The very Companions who had foundthemselves powerless to urge their mounts towards thebattlefield, began to feel they were no longer in thisworld but in the next, facing God on the JudgementDay. The voice of ‘Abbas ra did not sound like his ownvoice but the voice of the angel beckoning them torender an account of their deeds. There was nothingthen to stop them from turning to the battlefield again.Many of them dismounted and with only sword andshield rushed to the battlefield, leaving their animals togo where they liked. Others dismounted, cut off theheads of their animals and rushed back on foot to theProphet sa . It is said that the Ansar on that day rantowards the Prophet sa with the speed with which amother-camel or a mother-cow runs to her young onhearing its cries. Before long the Prophet sa wassurrounded by a large number of Companions, mostlyAnsar. The enemy again suffered a defeat.The presence of Abu Sufyan ra on the side of theProphet sa on this day was a mighty divine Sign, a Sign ofthe power of God on the one hand and of the purifyingexample of the Prophet sa on the other. Only a few daysbefore, Abu Sufyan ra was a bloodthirsty enemy of theProphet sa , commander of a bloodthirsty armydetermined to destroy the Muslims. But here, on thisday the same Abu Sufyan ra stood by the side of theProphet sa , a friend, follower and Companion. When theenemy camels stampeded, Abu Sufyan ra , a wise andseasoned general, saw that his own horse was likely torun wild. Quickly he dismounted and, holding thestirrup of the Prophet's sa mule, started going on foot.Sword in hand, he walked by the side of the Prophet sadetermined not to let anyone come near the Prophet's saperson without first attacking and killing him. TheProphet sa watched this change in Abu Sufyan ra withdelight and astonishment.He reflected on this fresh evidence of the power ofGod. Only ten or fifteen days before, this man was